london calling

Janet Jackson Causes a Kerfuffle at Vivenne Westwood

When a PR flack bolts from his post at the front door of Vivienne Westwood Red Label and goes sprinting down the street, you know that the celebrity wattage is about to get turned way up. But inside, guests tapped their feet as several front-row seats remained empty, awaiting famous bottoms. Which random British starlet was holding up the show this time? we wondered.

But when none other than the Queen of Pop, Janet Jackson, emerged slowly from backstage to take her seat, dragging a swarm of buzzing paparazzi, we forgave the delay. Wearing tweed and a slightly taken-aback look, she created such a kerfuffle that the photographers ignored Naomi Campbell for a whole minute when she strutted out in a puff of black marabou in Ms. Jackson’s wake.

That’s a diamond in Ke$ha’s tooth.Photo: Sarah Maslin Nir


A few rows down was Ke$ha, who has been blitzing the U.K. media on a publicity push. But she’s not the biggest fashion fan: She once got sick all over Paris Hilton’s closet at a party and said it was the clothing that nauseated her. Today she clarified: “It’s not that clothes make me sick. Having good style and fashion doesn’t bother me. It’s just that there are certain lifestyles that have been glorified that are a little wasteful and in a climate where a lot of people are less-than-wealthy I think it’s gross to flaunt it.” (We felt it distasteful at this point to mention that the she spells her name with a dollar sign or that she’d just finished showing us how she got a diamond embedded in her tooth enamel.)

Westwood’s show began with three models who wore Haiti T-shirts over their looks, which Ke$ha, who says she gave money to Haiti, dug. “I think it’s an amazing thing that she can incorporate that. When you are successful, with more money does come responsibilities.” Ke$ha’s even up for doing a charity single. “I haven’t been approached to do that,” she says, “but I wouldn’t be opposed to help in any way I can.”

View a slideshow of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label collection.

Janet Jackson Causes a Kerfuffle at Vivenne Westwood